The present invention relates, in general, to a winch, and more particularly to a portable winch of a type having a casing for accommodating an electric motor having a motor shaft, a gearbox with a gearbox input shaft in communication with the motor shaft and a gearbox output shaft, and a roller for a traction member connected to a load-bearing member, with the roller mounted in fixed rotative engagement on the gearbox output shaft for winding and unwinding the traction member.
It is generally known to provide winches with a casing. For example, WO 93/15705 describes a ceiling-mounted lifter in which a harness for a patient is attached to a central hook on the underside of the lifter. Provided on the top of the lifter is an opening for guiding a traction member which is connectable to a carriage travelling along a ceiling-mounted track. Accommodated in the lifter casing are an electric motor and its energy supply, together with a gearbox, with the motor shaft being fixedly connected to the gearbox input shaft. A roller for winding and unwinding the traction member is mounted on the gearbox output shaft. At operation, the lifter pulls itself upward, and hence also pulls the person to be transported upward.
A drawback of this conventional lifter is its availability for only a particular use so that this lifter is not universally useable. In addition, this lifter cannot readily be transported by a single person over a relatively great distance without further aids, and the weight and the shape of the lifter permit a person to carry the lifter only around its shoulder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,973 describes a portable hoist which uses a high gear ratio in order to hold the load safely, even without a brake, when the motor is at a standstill. This hoist suffers the drawback that it cannot be used universally and cannot be transported with ease, i.a. because it does not have a balanced center of gravity. Furthermore, the hoist is not completely protected by the casing against outside forces, and has a complicated structure and thus is expensive. Therefore, this hoist is not suitable for domestic use.